A Rose By Any Other Name
by Elric-Chan
Summary: It's Valentine's Day, and Raito's recieved a rose from a secret admirer. Is it someone with true intentions? Or someone else...? LxRaito


**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, Raito, or L.**

**I wrote this for a contest on deviantART. Enjoy.**

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"Misa!"

Raito scowled, wondering why he had to be involved in all of the Valentine's Day camaraderie, and twirled a single object between his fingers.

A brilliant red rose.

_**A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME**_

"Misa!" he called again irritably, eyeing the note attached to the rose.

_To Yagami Raito, from your 'Secret Admirer'_

He frowned. Hardly a secret admirer; after all, only one person he knew really 'admired' him. Misa dashed into the room, giggling madly, unsuccessfully concealing a bunch of roses behind her back.

_"More of them?"_ Raito thought, but at that moment, Misa spotted the rose in his hand.

"Who's that from?" she pouted, the smile instantly sliding from her face. Raito raised an eyebrow.

"My secret admirer."

Misa's lips pursed even more as she pulled the bouquet out in front of her. "Well, these are from me, anyway."

"But..." Raito stared at the bundle of flowers, and back to the single one he held in his hand. "This one is from you, isn't it?"

"No," she said, another giggle escaping her. "My love for you isn't exactly a secret, is it?"

"Ryuuzaki!" Raito whirled around to face L, who was watching him without interest, casually munching conversation hearts. His gaze brightened as he was acknowledged, and his fingers stopped halfway to his lips, the pink heart he held bearing the phrase "Hot Baby!"

"Yes, Raito-kun?"

"Do you know whose this is?"

"It's yours," he said, craning his neck to read the card. "According to the card."

Raito turned away in annoyance as the pink heart was thrown into L's mouth and a green "I Love You" was devoured in succession. Misa smiled again, brandishing the bouquet at him.

"So you don't know who it's from?"

"Nope!"

Raito sighed, and took the bouquet. "Thanks."

Misa skittered from the room, and Raito turned back to L, who was intensely contemplating a yellow "Kiss Me!" heart.

"Take this," Raito thrust the flowers into L's hands, and he turned his attention back to the spindly lone rose he still held. Who was it from?

"Valentine's Day is serious business for you guys, then?"

"For girls, mainly," Raito responded, striding to the couch, hearing the soft clink that meant L was shuffling along behind him. "But this rose..."

L stared at him silently. "Why does it intrigue you so, Raito-kun?"

"I don't know." Raito answered quietly. In truth, he didn't know. Misa merely lusted after him; despite what she said, it wasn't truly love. And it wasn't though he was after love, he didn't need anything like that, but this Valentine's rose was captivating him. Unless it was a prank, or if Misa was lying; but he wanted to believe it was from someone who really admired him.

"Do you honestly like it?"

Raito turned to L, who immediately shrugged and looked away, plunging his hand into another bag of candy hearts. As Raito turned the rose around and around in his hands, L suddenly made a noise of impatience.

"I have paperwork I forgot." He grimaced as Raito turned questioningly to him, picking up a stack of papers begrudgingly. Raito glanced absentmindedly at the writing on the top sheet, watching as L's pen dashed across it. His eyes widened in surprise as he realized that he recognized the detective's writing as the very same that adorned his Valentine's card.

"Ryuuzaki..."

"It's from me," L told him bluntly, setting down his papers as he resumed his active inhaling of conversation hearts. "The rose."

"You..." Raito mumbled in shock. "You... love me...?"

L choked on a purple heart, and looked up at him while holding his throat. "No."

"Then why?"

"I just... gave it to you on a whim." L shrugged his shoulders again, setting the bag down next to his papers.

"A whim?" Raito felt his heart sinking. So it wasn't a prank... but it wasn't from someone with true intentions either.

"Are you bothered, Raito-kun?"

"No..." Raito answered, but to his dismay he felt uncontrollabe tears prickling at his eyes. He couldn't explain why this rose, from _Ryuuzaki_ none the less, was causing him so much distress. He started as the chain jingled, looking down at another pink heart that L was holding out to him. He looked up into L's apologetic eyes, but averted his own quickly back to the heart, on which "Be Mine" was written in elegant white script.

"I'm sorry, Raito-kun," L said softly, and he closed his eyes with a sigh. "I didn't know you would think so much of it."

"But I thank you," Raito whispered in a voice even softer. "It's... lovely. I just thought it was... from someone... who..."

"Loved you?" L looked back up into his eyes, closing his hand around Raito's, sealing the heart between their clasped fingers. A silence fell between them, but they awkwardly held each other's gaze. Raito's head spun; he was certain he did not like males, especially not _this_ male.

And yet, inevitably, they began to lean in toward each other.

"Raito darling!" Misa burst obnoxiously into the room, startling them apart. "I think I know who gave it to you-u-u-u-u!"

She frowned in confusion as two pairs of annoyed eyes glared daggers at her, and she glanced down at their interlocked hands.

"Um..." she continued, now looking uncomfortable. "It might have been Mello..."

But she cringed under their irritated stares, and with a hesitant goodbye wave at Raito, she dashed from the room. Raito gave a small inward sigh, and felt his face redden as his eyes traveled back to L's with trepidation.

"Look, Ryuuzaki..."

"Shut up." L pulled him forward with abandon, and his lips bore down on the younger man's. Their hands broke apart, and the heart fell onto the couch between the two of them, sticky and melted. Raito brought both hands up, gripping the sides of L's face.

"Ryuuzaki..."

L pressed forward again, not allowing Raito to say anything more.

Thirty minutes found them sprawled lazily out on the couch together, hair rumpled and faces flushed.

"Should we lock the door?" Raito breathed into L's ear, but the detective shook his head lightly.

"Misa's not coming back."

A gentle smile crept onto Raito's lips as he chuckled softly. He glanced down at the floor, where a spot of pink caught his eye.

"Be mine, Ryuuzaki?" he asked L, grinning broadly.

"Anytime, Raito-kun," L responded with a kiss. "Happy Valentine's Day."

_**OWARI**_

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**A/N: Hah! I enjoyed that! It was a little lame at the beginning, but it got much better at the end.**


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